IBTC Tool of the Week September 9, 2014 WordPress

WordPress

When I started in this business, I had to learn enough HTML to setup paragraphs, headings, graphics, lists and such. Not any more. WordPress has removed all the drudgery out of publishing or updating a website.

WordPress is probably provided by our hosting company. If not, it is easy todownload from the WordPress site. Once you have installed it, you can edit your web documents on the fly including posts and pages for our website.

Plugins

Many plugins for WordPress are available and many are free to you. Plugins are easily accessed from WordPress. There are some paid plugins but I have not used them. I use plugins to provide formating, social marketing, pinning, adding video and to count my pages. I also use the standard SEO plugins. Here is my current list:

Akismet

Deactivate | Edit | Settings
Used by millions, Akismet is quite possibly the best way in the world to protect your blog from comment and trackback spam. It keeps your site protected from spam even while you sleepAkismet
. To get started: 1) Click the “Activate” link to the left of this description, 2) Sign up for an Akismet API key, and 3) Go to your Akismet configuration page, and save your API key.
Version 2.5.7 | By Automattic | Visit plugin site
There is a new version of Akismet available. View version 3.0.2 details or update now.

All in One SEO Pack

All in One SEO Pack
Deactivate | Edit
Out-of-the-box SEO for your WordPress blog. Options configuration panel | Upgrade to Pro Version | Donate | Support | Amazon Wishlist
Version 1.6.15.3 | By Michael Torbert | Visit plugin site
There is a new version of All in One SEO Pack available. View version 2.2.3.1 details or update now.
Select Exclude Pages from Navigation
Exclude Pages from Navigation
Activate | Edit | Delete
Provides a checkbox on the editing page which you can check to exclude pages from the primary navigation. IMPORTANT NOTE: This will remove the pages from any “consumer” side page listings, which may not be limited to your page navigation listings.
Version 1.92 | By Simon Wheatley | Visit plugin site
Select Google Analytics for WordPress
Google Analytics for WordPress
Settings | Deactivate | Edit
This plugin makes it simple to add Google Analytics to your WordPress blog, adding lots of features, eg. custom variables and automatic clickout and download tracking.
Version 4.3.3 | By Joost de Valk | Visit plugin site
There is a new version of Google Analytics for WordPress available. View version 5.0.5 details or update now.

Google XML Sitemaps

Google XML Sitemaps
Deactivate | Edit
This plugin will generate a special XML sitemap which will help search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.com to better index your blog.
Version 3.2.9 | By Arne Brachhold | Visit plugin site | Settings | FAQ | Support | Donate
There is a new version of Google XML Sitemaps available. View version 4.0.7.1 details or update now.

Pinterest Master

Activate | Edit | Delete
Pinterest Master adds the follow me on pinterest, pin it button, show pinterest profile and show pinterest board to your wordpress website.
Version 2.3 | By TechGasp | Visit plugin site
There is a new version of Pinterest Master available. View version 4.3.6 details or update now.

Smart Youtube PRO

Smart Youtube PRO
Deactivate | Edit
Insert YouTube videos in posts, comments and RSS feeds with ease and full customization.
Version 4.2.0 | By Vladimir Prelovac | Visit plugin site
There is a new version of Smart Youtube PRO available. View version 4.2.6 details or update now.

WP Hit Counter Plugin

YouTube

YouTube
Deactivate | Edit
YouTube embed plugin with basic features and convenient defaults. Upgrade now to add view tracking and access to your very own analytics dashboard.
Version 3.7 | By EmbedPlus Team | Visit plugin site
There is a new version of YouTube available. View version 8.9 details or update now.

Themes

Some themes you must pay for but if you have a certain goal with your site, you can purchase a more suitable theme, but you will have plenty of free ones to get started and it is easy to change themes if you decide to do something more specific later.